Good said through this tragedy, they hope to learn something that would allow their district to make the best safety decisions as possible.

Danelle Gittus, spokeswoman for Oakland Schools, said every local district will look at their own buildings to help keep them safe.

Oakland Schools typically does not help with these procedures unless the district asks for assistance.

“We really believe that we need to work together,” Gittus said. “... This is about more than secure schools, it’s about a secure community and secure country.”

Gittus said that it’s important to review policies regarding things like mental health.

“Most districts will be reviewing their plans and will make sure they can handle crisis situations as if it were to arise,” Gittus said.

Waterford School officials also met Monday to discuss current policies, but have decided that their existing policies are effective, said district spokeswoman Rhonda Lessel.

“We have existing safety and security policies in place, and we are currently utilizing those policies,” Lessel said. “... We are looking at all of our safety and security policies, we always do — we meet every month.”

The district has several teams in place that meet to discuss safety.

“We have a safety and security cabinet that meets monthly and we meet quarterly with police and first responders,” Lessel said.

The district also has teams within each of the schools that are working in the building on a daily basis. Those teams meet quarterly and include teachers, administrators, custodians and staff.

“This week, we are asking our administrators and staff members to be particularly vigilant regarding visitors in our schools, and be as highly visible as possible to provide a calm, reassuring environment for our students,” Waterford Superintendent John Silveri said in a letter to parents.

Lessel wanted to remind parents that their district is well-prepared for these situations.

“I would like to reiterate what the experts are saying, which is a situation like this is extremely rare,” Lessel said. “We have adults in our building that are trained to react ... We practice evacuation drills and lockdown drills just in case an emergency situation does arise.”

The district also has resources to help students with coping with the events that transpired at Sandy Hook, Conn., or that are feeling anxious about attending school.

“We do have a school psychologist, social workers and prevention specialists available if anyone feels they need to have a conversation with those folks, and for anyone experiencing anxiety,” Lessel said.

Troy School District Superintendent Barbara Fowler released a statement to parents and staff saying it will boost security teams, including a police presence in its schools.

“It’s most important that we maintain a sense of routine and stability to help our students feel safe. For the most part, the regular school day and activities will continue as planned,” the email said.

Kent Barnes, superintendent of Holly Area Schools, released a similar statement — saying maintaining a normal routine at both school and home is most important.

He also said the district will continue to use their drills and lockdown procedures.

“This incident reminds us why we do not prop open doors,” Barnes said in a statement. “We can never be absolutely protected against all circumstances, we do rely on all our staff and community members to ensure that we follow our own procedures.”

West Bloomfield School District Superintendent Gerald Hill said they also sent emails and information out to parents. There is also a “heightened sense of awareness” in the district.

“It is sort of ironic we had planned a staff meeting tomorrow , and the topic of that meeting was to review our safety plan ... it will take on a new sense of importance. During that meeting we will review all of our safety protocols,” Hill said.

Hill said the most important thing is being able to act on all of their plans.

FYI

Oakland Schools has compiled a guide about how to teach children about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. Visit oaklandschoolsmi.com to read the blog post.

Contact Megan Semeraz at 248-745-4628 or email Megan.Semeraz@oakpress.com or follow her on Twitter @MeganSemeraz.